Week 13: Asparagus Soup with Tarragon Cream

I can't believe it's been 13 weeks already! And I can't believe I'm not tired of eating and making soup. Maybe I'm getting better, but each week seems to be easier and faster! This week I was finally able to enjoy the weather and make it to the Farmer's Market for my ingredients. My typical farmer's market routine is to do a lap to see what's there and do a second lap paying attention to prices and make my purchases in my final lap. This time around, the asparagus were calling to me to take them home. I got distracted by some amazing oranges and forgot to look for the tarragon, but I was able to pick up a few shallots too.

To make the soup, I cut the asparagus into 1/2" pieces, and sauteed the shallots. A note about the shallots: This is the first recipe that called for shallots rather than onions. I've never used a shallot so I figured I'd stick to the recipe since they were easy to find at the farmer's market and not real pricey (although in comparison to an onion they are a little pricey). I even thought I might get a break from burning, tearing eyes this week --no such luck. In the end, I couldn't taste the difference, so if you don't have shallots on hand, a plain old onion would probably be fine. If you are interested in learning more, my friends at Good Housekeeping have more to say on the subject.

Back to the steps...
So after sauteing the shallots in butter for a few minutes, I added the asparagus for a minute more. I then added broth, a sprinkle of cayenne, salt and rice. I covered and let simmer for 20 minutes, until the asparagus were very soft.

In the meantime, I whisked the creme fraiche with the chopped tarragon. A note about the tarragon/creme fraiche: This was another unfamiliar ingredient to me. But loving fresh herbs and being stubborn and never measuring, I may have overdone it a tad. I'm not entirely sure how much tarragon I used, but next time I would add a little at a time to taste before dumping it in. Also, the last time I used creme fraiche, I recall not being too impressed by the taste considering the high price and similarity to plain, cheap sour cream, but this time I found the creme fraiche at Trader Joe's much cheaper, so I used it. However, this is another ingredient that can be easily substituted and still come out with a great soup.

Once again, back to the steps...
After vegetables are soft, puree the soup and whisk in the creme fraiche/tarragon mixture. I returned the soup to the stove and kept on low heat until we were ready to eat. The licorice flavor of the fennel subdued a tad, I think. Or maybe I just got used to it.

Overall the soup was yummy! It was actually even quite good before adding the tarragon, so if you aren't a fan of the licorice/anise flavor, this can be skipped and enjoyed just as well. My friends loved the soup and went back for more! Even my fried who was stunned by the strong flavors of the tarragon ended up having a second helping later. The moral of the story, is don't rule out the tarragon right away. Give it a chance and you will LOVE this soup!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus /2 bunches = $6 / farmer's market
2 tablespoons butter / from home
1/2 cup chopped shallots / $1.50/lb = $0.75 / farmer's market
4 cups chicken stock / from home
salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home
1/3 cup long grain white rice, uncooked / from home
1/2 cup creme fraiche / $3.49 / Trader Joe's
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon / $1.99 / Whole Foods

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Taste: 4 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $12.23

Can't wait to see what's at the Farmer's Market next week!

Week 12: Fruity Curry Soup

After 12 weeks of me trying to get my coworkers to try my soup, I finally gave in to a special recipe request. My friend asked me (after turning down corned beef & cabbage), "Can't you just make a curry soup?" Well, actually, yes I can!

My cookbook didn't have a recipe, so I spent some time looking online and narrowed it down to 4. Many of the curry soups were Thai and contained coconut milk, which I am not a fan, and others included lentils which sounded yummy and hearty and perfect for the weather we've been having, but in the end we choose a Caribbean style recipe which called for apples & bananas. Sounded good to me!

This soup was super easy, from ingredients to stove top. I started by peeling and chopping potatoes and apples, onion and celery, and banana. Yes, you read that correctly, this savory soup has fruit in it. I simmered the fruits and vegetables in the chicken broth until tender. I then added the yogurt, butter, salt and curry powder. And then I used my awesome immersion blender to puree and that was it! Done and done. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but I substituted non-fat yogurt for a healthier option.


The only hang up was that I've been battling a little cold and no matter how much curry I dumped in that pot, I couldn't taste a thing. But after I had more than doubled the amount of curry called for in the recipe, I decided to stop. I hope they like it! Oh, and I did feel like I wanted a little bit of chunkiness in the soup, so at the last minute, I peeled, diced and cooked another small apple and threw it in. Why not?

Besides being really easy to make, this soup was very affordable. I actually had most of the ingredients at home, but I purchased more just to not deplete my stock. I also purchased enough for a double batch, so this would be even more affordable for someone to make it at home for 4 - 6 servings. For 10 - 12 servings, this soup cost only $5.99. To be fair, I did use left over, frozen chicken broth from another week, so that would add about $3 to the cost. I would say that's still well within the budget!

I took this to work for my coworkers and have to say I was a bit nervous given my lack of tastebuds, but it was a hit. The soup smelled really good and got a lot of attention in the breakroom. The fruit really came through with the savoriness of the curry and it totally worked. I did not miss the heavy cream at all, so I think I will keep yougurt in mind for future substitutes. Sean gave it his seal of approval, which is pretty awesome considering his Caribbean roots. I ate it with wheat flat bread and it was a very satisfying lunch. I will keep this recipe in mind next time I'm craving something out of the ordinary.



Ingredients
1 large potato / $0.99/lb = $0.71 / Real Produce
2 celery stalks / $1.99 /Real Produce
1 onion / from home
1 large granny smith apple, peeled / $0.79/lb = $0.92 / Real Produce
1 unripened, firm banana / 2 @ $0.19 = $0.38 / Trader Joe's
2 cups chicken broth / from home
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt / from home
1 tablespoon butter / from home
2 teaspoons curry powder / $1.99 / Trader Joe's
salt / from home

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 - 6 (althought I made a double batch, I have included measurements for a single)
Taste:
Prep: easy, easy, easy
Cost: $5.99 (approximately $2 per serving)

Yummy!

Week 11: Under Cover Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, I decided to make corned beef and cabbage soup. The recipe calls for the soup to be baked in a small dish and backed with a cover of puff pastry, sort of like a pot pie. And for this rainy, stressful work week, nothing like some pot pie comfort food.

This story begins with me wondering around Nob Hill trying to figure out exactly what corned beef is and how to buy it. I ended up at Nob Hill because I saw from their weekly add that all their St. Patty's day fair was on special. Only, I didn't realize that there is corned beef you cook and corned beef in the deli. I figured the recipe called for the deli corned beef, but at $10.99 a pound (and I needed 2 pounds), I decided to buy and cook a corned beef brisket. This definitely saved me some money, but added about 3 hours of cooking time. The good news is the corned beef and the soup was delicious and I can't imagine changing a thing!

I ended up cooking the beef the night before. There wasn't much to it. I placed the whole brisket and accompanying seasoning in a pot, covered with water and boiled for 2.5 hours, or 1 hour per pound. I didn't realize the roast shrinks down quite a bit, so next time (and I WILL make this again) I will buy an extra pound or two if uncooked. I'm not sure the weight of the brisket after cooking, but I think I could have had more corned beef in the finished soup. Once the brisket was cooled, I refrigerated overnight until it was soup time. The puff pastry should also be defrosted overnight.

The next day, I prepped all the veggies by dicing the onion, chopping the cabbage to pieces 1/2-inch wide by an inch long and cubing the potatoes to 1/2-inch cubes. Although that sounds easy, at some point, I suffered my first soup wound: a cut on the thumb. But after some pressure and a Raider band-aide, I was back to chopping.

The first step was to cook about 5 slices of bacon in a big pot. Once crisp, I removed the bacon and chopped in small pieces. In the same pan with the bacon drippings, I sauteed the onions for a few minutes then added the cabbage and potatoes and simmered for about 3 more minutes. I then added the broth and mustard and let simmer for 20 minutes. After simmering, I added the corned beef and let cool. The soup at this point was already very good. I added ground pepper, but no additional salt was needed with the bacon and corned beef.

While the soup simmered, I prepared the pastry tops. I was a little nervous about this having never worked with puff pastry, but it was really easy. I floured the table, unfolded the puff pastry and used a bowl about an inch wider than my ramekins to cut circles. I used a butter knife to cut 1/2-inch holes in the middle of the tops for the steam to escape while baking. I prepared an egg glaze by whisking an egg with 1 teaspoon cold water and brushed one side of the pastry tops with the egg glaze.

Next, I filled the ramekins within 1/2 an inch from the top. I covered with the pastry tops, egg side down and tightly pressed the pastry dough to the outside of the ramekins with a fork. By this time, I was super hungry and I was thinking I would skip the hour of refrigeration the recipe was calling for next, but I came to my senses and realized those directions are probably there for a reason, so I compromised and put 8 ramekins in the freezer for 20 minutes. I purposely left 2 out of the freezer, just to see what would happen, knowing that I had plenty, just in case. I baked the ramekins on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Glad I did refrigerate because once baked the pastry dough on the other ramekins shrunk up. So my advice to you is to use my 20 minute freezer trick or refrigerate (covered with plastic wrap) for the advised 1 to 4 hours. See the picture on the right for the non-refrigerated bowls.

And then, eat Under Cover Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup. Delish! The family also loved the soup, the only negative feedback were that the ramekins were too small and I'd have to agree. A bigger portion would make this soup even better!





Ingredients
5-7 bacon slices / $5.69 / Nob Hill
1 chopped onion / from home
1 small green cabbage / 3lbs @ $0.99 = $1.04 / Nob Hill
2 pounds russet potatoes / $0.89/lb = $2.85
6 cups chicken broth/ from home
2 tablespoons whole-grain dijon mustard / $1.78 / Trader Joe's
2-3 pounds corned beef brisket / $6.11/ Safeway
salt / from home
pepper / from home
One 17.3 ounce package frozen puff pastry / $5.39
1 large egg / from home
8-12 1-cup ramekins / 3 @ 4 for $3.99 = $11.97 / TJ Max Home

Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hr refrigeration,
Cook time: 40 minuets, plus 2-3 hours corned beef cook time
Servings: 8
Taste: 5
Prep: medium easy
Cost: $22.86 (not counting ramekins)

Week 10: Potato & Garlic Soup

Although my rule has been to stick to lower calorie, broth-based soup, with the few & easy ingredients and quick prep time for this recipe, I decided to go for it. Soooo glad I did!

This was by far the most quick & easy to prepare soup I have made. Also, it tasted great right after making, no need to make this the day before. The recipe called for new potatoes about 1 to 1-1/5 inches in diameter. I didn't have time to go to that farmer's market this week, so I went to Real Produce. Unfortunately, they didn't have new potatoes so I just tried to pick the smallest red potatoes I could find. I've never tasted the difference between new potatoes and the regular potatoes, but apparently they are young potatoes with thinner skin and less starchy than the potatoes that are common in supermarkets. The soup tasted fabulous with the regular potatoes, but I wouldn't mind making this soup again if I do find the new potatoes at my farmer's market one day, just to compare.

To make the soup, I washed and scrubbed the potatoes and cut into 1/8" slices, leaving on the peel (easy!). I boiled the potatoes for about 5 minutes until they were cooked. I drained them and set them aside while I melted Boursin cheese with the half and half. Once the cheese was melted, I added the potatoes. The cream was not garlicy enough for me, so I added some minced garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. That's all. Soup's on!

I warned my friends that this soup would be quite rich and was definitely just an appetizer soup. We served it in small bowls and garnished with freshly chopped parsley. The parsley really added to the flavor. I could have added chives too, but they aren't my favorite and the soup was quite delicious without them. My friends and I ate the soup all up. This is the first time in the super challenge where I did not have leftovers! But in our defense, it was a small batch.


Ingredients:
12 ounces red potatoes (or new potatoes)
(1 to 1-1/2 inches diameter) / $$0.79 /lb = $1.58 / Real Produce
2 cups half & half / $1.69 / Trader Joe's
5 oz. Boursin cheese with garlic & herbs / $5.99/ Nob Hill
chopped fresh parsley for garnish/ $0.59 / Real Produce
chopped fresh chives for garnish / (didn't use it)
salt / from home
pepper / from home
additional minced garlic (optional) / from home

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4-5
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: Super duper easy!
Cost: $9.85

Yummy!!!!!!

Spring Soups

1. Asparagus Soup with Tarragon Cream

2. Cream of Parsley

3. Vegetable Soup in Lemon Broth

4. Spring New Potato and Garlic Soup

5. Carrot Soup with Sesame & Chives

6. Creamy Artichoke Soup

7. Spring Risotto soup

8. Just Greens Soup

9. Salmon Chowder

10. Sweet Pea Soup with chives

11. Paella Soup

12. Penne, Asparagus, and Peas in Parmesan Broth

13. Thai-Style Lemongrass Soup with Shrimp

14. Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

15. Watercress Soup with Scallops

Can't wait to start cooking? Which recipe should I try first?

Week 9: Los Angeles Soup

When I started this blog 9 weeks ago at 1 am, I didn't give a lot of thought to what would happen if I were away from my kitchen and didn't get to make soup. So here I am in Los Angeles for work for a full 7 days. Since it is my blog, I guess that means I can make the rules. So instead of making soup, I am eating soup. Not every day or all day long, but if I'm there and soup is on the menu and it looks good, I'm gonna order it, photograph it, and eat it! Sounds like a souper challenge to me!

Grilled Cheese Food Truck
I have been strangely obsessed with the new Food Truck movement that has blown up around the country. And LA had done it best. To be honest, I sought out this truck solely for the grilled cheese. But since tomato soup and grilled cheese are pretty much like peanut butter & jelly, this one was easy. Through tweets and facebook, gourmet food trucks have developed a following in LA County. I found out about the Grilled Cheese truck and followed it to Venice Boulevard. Even though this blog is about soup, I must discuss the sandwiches. We ordered the Cheesy Mac & Rib and the Brie Melt. Both were incredible amazing. The Mac & Rib is exactly what it sounds like: macaroni and cheese with shredded pork ribs. The brie melt was a double cream brie with fig paste, almonds and a bit of smoked turkey. Although these grilled cheese sandwiches contain more than cheese, make no mistake. Cheese is front and center in these sandies. And, of course, the tomato soup for dipping. The soup had a similar taste to my tomato fennel recipe from week 6. Delish! And although the sandwiches could stand on their own, the tomato soup on the menu just validated that food from a truck can be just as good as a 5 star restaurant!

El Paso Inn, Olvera Street
I took a little walk down Olvera Street in LA's Chinatown neighborhood with a friend and we randomly chose on of the many Mexican restaurants in this little tourist area. It was a rainy day, and we didn't have much time, so we figured a nice big bowl of soup would be perfect. (And yes, it does rain in L.A.). I ordered abondiga soup. This is a traditional, broth-based Mexican soup with meatballs (abondigas in Espanol) and veggies. At home I don't often see this on the menu; rather the menudo, pozole and cocido are the more popular sopas. This soup was quite good, but not great. The broth had a lot of flavor and the different zucchini and slices of carrots were also very tasty. The abondigas tho, which should be the star of the soup, were not extremely flavorfull. They were not bad, but not fabulous. Still, the soup hit the spot on a rainy day and photographed very well. My friend had the tortilla soup. I didn't try it but she said it was delish and ate it all up. We were both quite satisfied with this souper lunch!




Philippe's
L.A. can be intimidating if you don't know where to go. So when my USC friend suggested dinner near Chinatown at the "home of the french dip" sandwich shop, I said YES! Again, I went there for their sandwich, and it was AWESOME, but I also ordered one of Philippe's daily soups. I tried the cream of spinach since the navy bean didn't appeal to me. I usually try to stay away from cream based soups as a general rule. They are very rich and heavy and they are bad, bad, bad in terms on fat & calories. But, I'm on vaycay (sorta) so I figured what the heck. Although I was expecting a savory, creamy, buttery flavor mixed in with some spinach, the soup reminded me more of dip. If I would have had some cheese to melt in it, it would have been the perfect cheesy spinach dip! Oh well, not all soups can be as good as mine ;-)

I still have 2 days left in LA, so I might be updating this if there is more soup to be eaten. Otherwise, stay tuned next week for the first of the Spring soups coming from my kitchen. I can't wait to hit the farmers markets for the new spring veggies!